It's road trip week on Wheel of Fortune (I made a point to be home for it and Jeopardy today) which is a funny coincidence because the warm weather (and a good friend of mine finalizing wedding plans) has inspired me to start tentatively planning another long-ish trip, this time around Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Montana and Wyoming.

Those five states were included in the 28 state free-for-all this past summer but I felt there was a lot I did not see, especially in Utah. My cousins in Aspen had recommended seeing Zion and I just did not have quite enough time.

Well, as seems to have become an annual tradition for me, I am planning to head back to Colorado in the spring of 2012 (I went there with my family last year and on my road trip in July 2010). This time I'll be out there, in Denver, for a wedding (again, wedding travels seem to be a semi-annual tradition for me now too). Even if this road trip does not work out, I can't wait to be out there again - though it will be weird to actually fly there since the two past time I either drove or took the train.

But, it would be awesome if this comes to fruition.

As I watch my latest installment from Netflix of Californication, I'm dreaming of a 4,000-mile trip of mainly national parks (big surprise, right). I already have the itinerary worked out too. It would include Mesa Verde, known for its stone ruins in the cliffs and very old artwork; Canyonland, most recently known for where 127 hours took place; Monument Valley, where eroded, beautiful rock rises from the barren plain; Bryce Canyons; Zion; and then a 14 hour drive north to Montana to Glacier National Park on the Canadian border. From there, I'd re-visit Yellowstone (one of my favorite stops in my last road trip) and head back down to Aspen to visit family there.

It'll be a crunch but I'm pretty sure this can be done in two weeks. One day, maybe when I'm retired, I'd love to spend just two weeks in one of these places. But, until then, a sampler seems more fun and effective.

Itinerary:

Denver - 2.5 days (Sat, Sun, Mon)

Mesa Verde - Cortez, CO (7 hours from Denver) (Mon, Tues)

Canyonlands - Moab, UT (2 hours from Cortez) (Wed)

Monument Valley - Kayenta, AZ (3 hours from Moab) (Thurs)

Bryce - Bryce Canyon, UT (4.5 hours from Kayenta) (Fri)

Zion - Springdale, UT (2 hours from Bryce) (Sat, Sun)

Monday for travel

Glacier - Browning, MT (14 hours, 20 mins from Springdale) (Tues,Wed)

Yellowstone - West Yellowstone, MT (6 hours, 50mins from West Glacier) Thurs

Aspen - (11.5hours from West Yellowstone) (Fri,Sat)

Denver - (3.5 hours from Aspen) (Sun)

Total: 4,010 miles (66.5 hours driving) ---two weeks (May 26 to June 10, 2012)